Steering-gear for automobiles.



W. J. MOORE & F. M. THAYER.

STEERING GEAR FOR AUTOMOBILES.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 14. 1914.

1 ,144L307o I Patented June 22, 1915.

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Specification of Letters Patent. Patented June 22, 1915.,

Application filed March 14, 1914. Serial No. 824,812.-

To all whom it may concern:

Be it" known that we, W1LLIAM J. M and FRANKLIN M. THAYER, citizens of the United States, residing, respectively, at Cedar Springs and Grand Rapids, in the county of Kent and State of Michigan, haveinvented certain new-and useful Improvements in Steering-Gears for Automobiles,

of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to .improvementsin steering gears for automobiles, and its objects are: First, to provide an automobile steering gear with which sudden jerking of the running gear by reason of striking an obstacle-in the road, will not be transmitted directly to the steering wheel and thus cause a sudden, unpleasant jerking of the leveror steering Wheel inthe hands of the operator. Second,"-to'provide a means whereby the steering gear may belocked in. any desired position to cause the automobile to run continuously in the one'dir'ection, and, also, to avert the den er of sudden sidewise movement. We attain these objects by the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying draw- 7 ing wherein thesingle figure is deemed sufli cient to fully illustrate the invention.

Similar letters. refer to similar parts throughout the drawing.

In the single figure herewith shown, 1 represents the fioor of the automobile.

2 rcpresents the steering lever or wheel,

and 3 represents the steering shaft, which mechanism is applied to the frame of the automobile similar to its application in the ordinary steering gears on vehicles of this class, except that the steerin arm, or arm 8, is not directly connected with the shaft 3, but, is connected with a se 'arate shaft, 7

which is placed to one side of the shaft 3, and is connected therewith by a train of gear wheels, 4, 5, and 6; in-such a manner that. the gear whee1 4, acting on, the idler 'wh'eel 5 and-through said idler, upon the gear wheel 6, will-cause the shaft 7 to turn,

the same direction that the shaft 3 is turned, thus making the action upon the lever 2 exactly the same in the handling of the steering gear of the vehicle,- as if the crank or ever 8 'were connected directly with the shaft'3, except that any sudden jerk or jar upon the running gear of the vehicle is greatly modified by passing through the gears 6, 5, 4 so that the effect of the jar is scarcely perceptible at the steering wheel or gear in the desired position consists of a latch 10, or its equivalent, so located and arranged that when the desired position has been attained the latch may be pressed ownward, as indicated by its dotted lines, and the lip 12 will pass between two of the teeth on the gear wheel 6, (or such other like gear wheel as convenience and the construction of the vehicle may demand) and will .ljeck the gear securely in place until the latch has been released and allowed to become dis connected from the gear wheel. This latch is actuated to hold it in" normal position, out of engagement with the teeth of the gear wheel, by any available form of spring, as indicated at 11.

It will be readily understood that if a driver is on a straight way course, or road, and has once attained the desired course he may lock the steering gear in place and al low the vehicle to run for a considerabledistance without having to hold the arms under strain in an endeavor to properly guide it,

and at-the same time it is perfectly easy and natural for him to removehis foot from the latch and bring the vehicle again under the direct control of the. steering wheel 2 the same as if the locking device was not attached. If, on the other hand, the automobile is being driven upon a smooth hard road and suddenly passes into a soft, sandy road it is liable to be jerked to'one side or the other so suddenly as to carrythe steering gearout of control-of the driver. In such cases it is necessary to regain centroliofthe 109 steering gear at the earliest possible moment, and to avert-the; danger of the gear getting, toomuch. out of the control of the driver wefind it very advantageous for the driver to lock the gear safely with the latch 10 until it can be again brought under the perfect control of the driver.

at we claim as new, and desire'to se- .In combination with the steering sheft of an automobile, having its lower end ste ped 5 on the floor of-the automobile, said -s aft'i' stationed at an incline from the perpendicu- ,Iar toward the operator, a gear wheel mounted on the team .shaft near the floor,

an' auxiliary shaft psira lel with the steering, shaft, 'a gear wheel mounted on said shaft,

, an' idler gearwheel pivotally mounted between the ge'afwheels on the steeringshaft, and the idler'shaft in position to mesh with] both these gear wheels. to transmit the -re'vt I I I the euxfliarysheft'in thef'same dlrectionfa 15 o1u b1e movements bi the steel" wheels. 4 Signed v Grandfflta'pids Michigan-March 25 casing covenngf' f pivotally connected-wit ,said casingin p0 sition to bemad'efto engage one of the'fiear whelsend tl le'v m t n y oi b ffi ag' me t w hfthQ M Li-MOORE; e e M; THA R,

"ten i a v 20 -d s md; PQ it'io n, by the'foot of the te toean e mhgm hold the-latch 

